970s

The 970s decade ran from January 1, 970, to December 31, 979.

970

This section is transcluded from AD 970. (edit | history)

By place

Byzantine Empire

• Emperor John I delegates the war in the Balkans to his brother-in-law, the Domestic of the Schools Bardas Skleros, and to the eunuch general Peter Phokas, who begin to gather a Byzantine army in Thrace. At the news of this, a powerful Kievan expeditionary force (30,000 men), along with many Bulgarians and a Pecheneg contingent, is sent south over the Balkan Mountains. After sacking the Bulgarian stronghold of Philippolis (modern-day Plovdiv), they bypass the heavily defended city of Adrianople, and turn towards Constantinople.^[1]
• Battle of Arcadiopolis: John I dispatches an elite force (10–12,000 men) to delay the Kievan Rus'. The Byzantines under Bardas Skleros successfully ambush the Kievan-Bulgarian invaders at Arcadiopolis (modern Turkey). The battle turns into a complete rout, killing thousands. Grand Prince Sviatoslav I is driven out of Thrace and withdraws his forces to the fortress city of Silistra.^[2]
• Summer – Bardas Phokas (the Younger) and his family rebel against their own cousin, John I. Bardas is proclaimed 'emperor' by his troops at Caesarea, but the rebellion is extinguished by Bardas Skleros. Phokas and his relatives are captured and exiled to the island of Chios (Aegean Sea).

Europe

• Summer – Byzantine-Imperial truce: Emperor Otto I (the Great) meets with John I at Bari and accepts a permanent peace agreement. Pandulf I (Ironhead) is released from captivity in Constantinople (see 969).
• The oldest preserved document (by Otto I) mentions Leibnitz in Styria (modern Austria).
• Eric the Victorious becomes the first (documented) king of Sweden in Uppland.
• Skagul Toste leads a Viking expedition to England and demands Danegeld.

Africa

• Al-Hasan ibn Ubayd Allah, Ikhshidid governor of Palestine, is defeated and taken prisoner by General Ja'far ibn Fallah in Syria. Ending the Ikhshidid Dynasty as a ruling power.
• Construction is completed on Al-Azhar Mosque in Cairo, Egypt (the world's oldest Islamic university).

Asia

• A major volcano erupts in Lake Mashū, Japan (approximate date).

Significant people

• Mar Abdisho I, Patriarch of the Assyrian Church of the East, held position 963–986
• Eric the Red (950–1003), Norse Explorer
• Richard I of Normandy (933–996), Duke of Normandy, r. 942–996
• Mieszko I of Poland (945?–992), Duke of Poland, r. c.960–992
• Vladimir of Kiev (958-1015), Kievan Prince and future Grand Prince of Kievan Rus
• Hisham II caliph of Córdoba
• Al-Aziz Billah Fatimid caliph of Cairo
• Al-Muti caliph of Baghdad
• At-Ta'i caliph of Baghdad

Births

Transcluding articles: 970, 971, 972, 973, 974, 975, 976, 977, 978, and 979

970

• Adelaide, German abbess and saint (d. 1015)
• Al-Sharif al-Radi, Persian Shi'ite scholar and poet (d. 1015)
• Bartholomew of Grottaferrata, Italian abbot (d. 1055)
• Constantine III, king of Scotland (approximate date)
• Fulk III (the Black), French nobleman (d. 1040)
• Gerberga, German noblewoman (approximate date)
• Hedwig, French noblewoman (approximate date)
• Henry of Schweinfurt, German nobleman (d. 1017)
• Henry of Speyer, German nobleman (approximate date)
• Heribert, archbishop of Cologne (approximate date)
• Leif Erikson, Norse Viking explorer (approximate date)
• Otto II, duke of Lower Lorraine (approximate date)
• Procopius of Sázava, Czech hermit and abbot (d. 1053)
• Radim Gaudentius, Polish archbishop (approximate date)
• Richard of Verdun, French abbot (d. 1046)
• Rudolph III, king of Burgundy (approximate date)
• Sergius IV, pope of the Catholic Church (d. 1012)
• Sitt al-Mulk, Fatimid princess and regent (d. 1023)
• Wifred II, Spanish nobleman (approximate date)
• William III, French nobleman (approximate date)
• Xu Daoning, Chinese painter (approximate date)

971

• Kushyar Gilani, Persian mathematician and geographer (d. 1029)
• Mahmud of Ghazni, emir of the Ghaznavid Empire (d. 1030)
• Oliba, Spanish count and bishop (approximate date)
• Rajendra Chola, Emperor of Chola Dynasty at its peak

972

• January 16 – Sheng Zong, emperor of the Liao Dynasty (d. 1031)
• March 27 – Robert II (the Pious), king of France (d. 1031)
• Abdussamed Babek, Kurdish ulama, author and poet (d. 1019/1020)
• Al-Mawardi, Abbasid jurist and diplomat (d. 1058)
• Ermesinde, countess and regent of Barcelona (d. 1058)
• Fujiwara no Seishi, Japanese empress consort (d. 1025)
• Fujiwara no Yukinari, Japanese calligrapher (d. 1027)
• Gregory V, pope of the Catholic Church (d. 999)^[30]
• Ramon Borrell, count of Barcelona (d. 1017)

973

• May 6 – Henry II, emperor of the Holy Roman Empire (d. 1024)
• September 4 – Al-Biruni, Persian physician and polymath (d. 1048)
• Adelaide I, German princess and abbess (approximate date)
• Abul 'Ala Al-Ma'arri, Syrian philosopher and poet (d. 1057)
• Hisham III, Umayyad caliph of Córdoba (d. 1036)
• Murasaki Shikibu, Japanese poet and lady-in-waiting (or 978)
• Qadi 'Abd al-Wahhab, Abbasid scholar and jurist (d. 1031)

974

• Bruno of Querfurt, German missionary bishop (d. 1009)
• Ermengol I, count of Urgell (d. 1010)
• Frederick, count of Walbeck (d. 1018)
• Fujiwara no Korechika, Japanese nobleman (d. 1010)
• Lý Thái Tổ, emperor of Lý dynasty (d. 1028)

975

• July 25 – Thietmar, bishop of Merseburg (d. 1018)
• Adalbold II, bishop of Utrecht (d. 1026)
• Amadeus I, count of Savoy (approximate date)
• Bouchard II, French nobleman (d. 1020)
• Conrad I, German nobleman (d. 1011)
• Cunigunde, Holy Roman Empress (d. 1040)
• Elijah, bishop of Beth Nuhadra (d. 1046)
• Gerard I, bishop of Cambrai (approximate date)
• Gero II, German nobleman (d. 1015)
• Guo, empress of the Song Dynasty (d. 1007)
• Hugh of Chalon, French bishop (approximate date)
• Izumi Shikibu, Japanese poet (approximate date)
• Oldřich, duke of Bohemia (approximate date)
• Sophia I, German princess and abbess (d. 1039)^[31]
• Stephen I, king of Hungary (approximate date)

976

• February 5 – Sanjō, emperor of Japan (d. 1017)
• Izumi Shikibu, Japanese poet (approximate date)

977

• March 4 – Al-Musabbihi, Fatimid historian (d. 1030)
• Fujiwara no Teishi, Japanese empress consort (d. 1001)
• Kōkei, Japanese Buddhist monk (approximate date)
• Poppo, abbot of Stavelot-Malmedy (d. 1048)

978

• Berno of Reichenau, German abbot (approximate date)
• Elvira of Castile, queen consort of León (approximate date)
• Ibn 'Abd al-Barr, Moorish judge and scholar (d. 1071)
• Murasaki Shikibu, Japanese poet and lady-in-waiting (or 973)
• Wang Zeng, Chinese grand chancellor (approximate date)
• Yaroslav I (the Wise), Russian grand prince (d. 1054)
• Zoë, Byzantine empress consort (approximate date)

979

• August 29 – Otto (or Eudes), French nobleman (d. 1045)
• Al-Muqtana Baha'uddin, Druze religious leader (d. 1043)
• Estrid (or Astrid), queen consort of Sweden (d. 1035)
• Fujiwara no Takaie, Japanese nobleman (d. 1044)
• Ibn al-Samh, Andalusian astronomer (d. 1035)
• Matilda, countess palatine of Lotharingia (d. 1025)

Deaths

Transcluding articles: 970, 971, 972, 973, 974, 975, 976, 977, 978, and 979

970

• January 18 – Hatto II, archbishop of Mainz
• January 30 – Peter I, emperor of Bulgaria
• February 5 – Polyeuctus, patriarch of Constantinople
• February 22 – García I, king of Pamplona
• June 15 – Adalbert, bishop of Passau
• August 31 – Han Xizai, Chinese official (b. 902)
• November 1 – Boso, bishop of Merseburg
• Abu'l-Fadl ibn al-'Amid, Persian statesman
• Al-Qassab, Abbasid warrior-scholar
• Beinir Sigmundsson, Viking chieftain
• Brestir Sigmundsson, Viking chieftain
• Erenfried II, Frankish nobleman (approximate date)
• Fernán González, Frankish count of Castile
• Fujiwara no Saneyori, Japanese statesman (b. 900)
• Harald II (Greycloak), king of Norway
• Hasdai ibn Shaprut, Jewish diplomat (approximate date)
• Menahem ben Saruq, Jewish philologist (approximate date)
• Minamoto no Saneakira, Japanese nobleman (b. 910)
• Oswulf, bishop of Ramsbury (approximate date)
• Taksony, Grand Prince of Hungary (approximate date)
• Willa of Tuscany, queen consort of Italy

971

• Aditya Chola II, prince and ruler of the Chola dynasty (India)
• Abū Ja'far al-Khāzin, Persian astronomer (b. 900)
• Anemas, Byzantine (Muslim) army commander
• Atto, bishop of Vic (Spain) (approximate date)
• Cuilén (or Cuilean), king of Alba (Scotland)
• Eraclus (or Evraclus), bishop of Liège
• Ja'far ibn Fallah, Fatimid general and governor
• Kalokyros, Byzantine patrician and pretender
• Li Jingda, prince of Southern Tang (b. 924)
• Muhammad al-Khushani, Umayyad historian
• Muhammad ibn Rumahis, Umayyad admiral
• Ordgar, English ealdorman and advisor
• Qian Hongzong, king of Wuyue (approximate date)
• Ziri ibn Manad, founder of the Zirid dynasty

972

• September 6 – John XIII, pope of the Catholic Church^[32]
• December 18 (or 973) – Eberhard IV, Frankish nobleman (or 973)
• Ælfwold I (or Ælfweald), bishop of Crediton
• Arnulf II, count of Boulogne (approximate date)
• Boleslaus I (the Cruel), duke of Bohemia (or 967)
• Feng Yanlu, Chinese official (approximate date)
• Fujiwara no Koretada, Japanese statesman (b. 924)
• Pope John XIII^[33]
• Khottiga Amoghavarsha, ruler of the Rashtrakuta Empire
• Kūya, Japanese priest of Pure Land Buddhism (b. 903)
• Liutprand, Lombard bishop and historian
• Sviatoslav I (Igorevich), Grand Prince of Kiev

973

• January 14 – Ekkehard I, Frankish monk and poet
• March 26 – Guntram (the Rich), Frankish nobleman
• March 27 – Hermann Billung, Frankish nobleman
• May 7 – Otto I, emperor of the Holy Roman Empire (b. 912)
• May 15 – Byrhthelm, bishop of Wells (Somerset)
• July 4 – Ulrich (or Oldarici), bishop of Augsburg (b. 893)
• July 19 – Kyunyeo, Korean monk and poet (b. 917)
• September 12 – Nefingus, bishop of Angers
• November 12 – Burchard III, Frankish nobleman
• December 18 (or 972) – Eberhard IV, Frankish nobleman (or 972)
• Abu'l-Abbas Ismail, Abbasid official and statesman
• Cathal mac Tadg, king of Connacht (Ireland)
• Conchobar mac Tadg, king of Connacht
• Geibennach mac Aedha, king of Uí Maine (Ireland)
• Guo Zongxun, emperor of Later Zhou (d. 953)
• Hrotsvitha, German canoness and poet (approximate date)
• Jawdhar, Fatimid general and chief minister
• Karka II, ruler of the Rashtrakuta Empire (India)
• Melias, Byzantine general (approximate date)
• Reginar III, Frankish nobleman (approximate date)
• Richar (or Richer), Frankish nobleman
• Werner (or Warin), Frankish nobleman

974

• March 7 – John of Gorze, Frankish abbot and diplomat
• October 12 – Al-Muti, caliph of the Abbasid Caliphate (b. 914)^[15]
• Al-Qadi al-Nu'man, Fatimid jurist and historian
• Benedict VI, pope of the Catholic Church
• Fujiwara no Yoshitaka, Japanese waka poet (b. 954)
• Muhammad Bal'ami, Persian historian and vizier
• Ratherius (or Rathier), bishop of Verona
• Shi Chonggui, emperor of Later Jin (b. 914)

975

• June 28
  • Cyneweard, bishop of Wells (Somerset)
  • Thurcytel, abbot of Crowland (approximate date)
• July 4 – Gwangjong (Wang So), Korean king (b. 925)
• July 8 – Edgar I (the Peaceful), king of England
• July 31 – Fu Yanqing, Chinese general (b. 898)
• October 15 – Oberto I, Italian count palatine
• November 12 – Notker Physicus, Swiss painter
• November 26 – Conrad, bishop of Constance
• December 21 – Al-Mu'izz, Fatimid caliph (b. 932)
• December 27 – Balderic, bishop of Utrecht (b. 897)
• Bilgetegin, Samanid officer and governor
• Cináed ua hArtacáin, Irish Gaelic poet
• Dyfnwal ab Owain, king of Strathclyde
• Gu Hongzhong, Chinese painter (b. 937)
• Master Geng, Chinese alchemist
• Olof II, king of Sweden (approximate date)
• Theobald I, Frankish nobleman (b. 913)
• Wynsige (or Wynsy), bishop of Lichfield
• Yongming Yanshou, Chinese Zen master (b. 904)

976

• January 10 – John I Tzimiskes, Byzantine emperor
• May 11 – Henry I (the Bald), German nobleman
• June 13 – Mansur I, emir of the Samanid Empire
• June 14
  • Aron, Bulgarian nobleman
  • David, Bulgarian nobleman
  • Moses, Bulgarian nobleman
• June 29 – Gero, archbishop of Cologne
• October 8 – Helen of Zadar, queen of Croatia
• October 16 – Al-Hakam II, Umayyad caliph (b. 915)
• November 14 – Taizu, Chinese emperor (b. 927)
• Al-Mansur Yahya, Zaidi scholar and imam
• Isarn, bishop of Grenoble (approximate date)
• Kvirike II, Georgian prince and chorbishop
• Madame Huarui, Chinese concubine and poet
• Mathgamain mac Cennétig, king of Munster
• Pietro IV Candiano, doge of Venice
• Rukn al-Dawla, Buyid general and emir
• Sun Taizhen, queen of Wuyue (Ten Kingdoms)
• Theodoric I, German nobleman (approximate date)
• Ali ibn Muhammad al-Iyadi, Arabic poet.
• Phạm Thị Trân, Vietnamese opera singer and Mandarin (b. 926)

977

• March 1 – Rudesind, Galician bishop (b. 907)
• November 8 – Ibn al-Qūṭiyya, Andalusian historian
• December 20 – Fujiwara no Kanemichi, Japanese statesman (b. 925)
• Amlaíb mac Illuilb, king of Alba (Scotland)
• Ashot III (the Merciful), king of Armenia
• Bisutun, ruler of the Ziyarid Dynasty
• Boris II, emperor of the Bulgarian Empire
• Dobrawa, duchess consort of the Polans
• Gisulf I, prince of Salerno (approximate date)
• Guo Zhongshu, Chinese painter and calligrapher
• Ivar of Limerick, Norse Viking king
• Kamo no Yasunori, Japanese spiritual advisor (b. 917)
• Oleg, prince of the Drevlyans
• Peter, Byzantine eunuch general
• Sideman, bishop of Crediton

978

• February 9 – Luitgarde, duchess consort of Normandy
• February 22 – Lambert, count of Chalon (b. 930)
• March 18 – Edward the Martyr, king of the English^[34]
• May 18 – Frederick I, duke of Upper Lorraine
• August 15 – Li Yu, ruler ('king') of Southern Tang
• December 3 – Abraham, Coptic pope of Alexandria
• unknown date
  • Aboazar Lovesendes, Portuguese nobleman
  • Comhaltan Ua Clerigh, king of Hy Fiachrach (Ireland)
  • Fernando Ansúrez II, count of Monzón and Campos
  • Fernando Bermúdez, count of Cea (approximate date)
  • Ibn Hawqal, Muslim writer, geographer and chronicler (earliest likely date)
  • Geirmund the Noisy, Viking adventurer (approximate date)
  • Gyeongsun, king of Silla (Korea) (b. 896)
  • Ibn Hawqal, Muslim Arab geographer
  • Lashkari ibn Muhammad, Shaddadid emir
  • Máel Muad mac Brain, king of Munster (Ireland)
  • Rogvolod, prince of Polotsk (approximate date)^[35]
  • Yang Guangmei, Chinese general (approximate date)

979

• June 29 – Fujiwara no Koshi, Japanese empress (b. 947)
• August 3 – Thietmar, German nobleman
• August 11 – Gero, German nobleman
• August 26 – Zhao Dezhao, prince of the Song Dynasty (b. 951)^[36]
• August 29 – Abu Taghlib, Hamdanid emir^[37]
• September 19 – Gotofredo I, archbishop of Milan
• unknown dates
  • 'Imran ibn Shahin, Muslim ruler
  • Vitale Candiano, doge of Venice^[38]
  • Hasanwayh, Hasanwayhid ruler
• probable – Iago ab Idwal, king of Gwynedd^[39]

References

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2. Brian Todd Carey (2012). Road to Manzikert: Byzantine and Islamic Warfare 527–1071, pp.86–87. ISBN 978-1-84884-215-1.
3. Treadgold, Warren (1997). A History of the Byzantine State and Society. Stanford, California: Stanford University Press. p. 509. ISBN 0-8047-2630-2..
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11. The most recent survey of the Anglo-Saxon history of Peterborough Abbey is in Kelly, S.E. (ed.), Charters of Peterborough Abbey, Anglo-Saxon Charters 14, OUP, 2009.
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19. Brian Todd Carey (2012). Road to Manzikert: Byzantine and Islamic Warfare 527–1071, p. 95. ISBN 978-1-84884-215-1.
20. Reuter, Timothy (1999). The New Cambridge Medieval History, Volume III, p. 254. ISBN 978-0-521-36447-8.
21. Reuter, Timothy (1999). The New Cambridge Medieval History, Volume III, p. 255. ISBN 978-0-521-36447-8.
22. Fine, John V. A. Jr. (1991) [1983]. The Early Medieval Balkans: A Critical Survey from the Sixth to the Late Twelfth Century. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press. p. 189. ISBN 0-472-08149-7.
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26. Jim Bradbury (2007). The Capetians: Kings of France, 987–1328, (London: Hambledon Continuum), p. 43.
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37. Canard, Marius (1965). "Abū Tag̲h̲lib". In Lewis, B.; Pellat, Ch. & Schacht, J. (eds.). The Encyclopaedia of Islam, Second Edition. Volume II: C–G. Leiden: E. J. Brill. p. 128. OCLC 495469475.
38. Dandolo, Andrea, et al. 1938. Chronica per extensum descripta (= Rerum italicarum scriptores 12.1). Bologna: Zanichelli, p. 500.
39. Thomas Jones Pierce. "Iago ab Idwal Foel (f. 942-979), king of Gwynedd". Dictionary of Welsh Biography. National Library of Wales. Retrieved June 28, 2021.